ISLAMABAD - Sheikh Rashid Ahmed knows how to make headlines and look different than other politicians by either making predictions that most of the times prove horribly wrong or by taking a totally different line against an overwhelmingly similar approach by other politicians on issues of national and international importance.
This time the veteran politician who proudly boasts himself to be an ‘informed statesman’ alerted the government about a new alliance in the region that include Iran-India and the United States of America while taking the floor in joint session of Parliament convened for debating crisis in Yemen.
Speaker Ayaz Sadiq who had been refusing to give floor to the seven-time MNA despite his angry protests on Thursday gave Sheikh Sahib a chance to speak on Yemen issue during the joint session where so far each speaker has warned the government of paying heed to Saudi’s request that wants Pakistan to fight rebels in Yemen.
But Sheikh Rashid who has been regularly attends the session since its first sitting on Monday spoke more in favour of Saudi Arabia and even sounded more in favour of sending troops to protect the kingdom.
The politician who employs the title of Farzand-e-Rawalpindi, son of Rawalpindi to himself, stunned the house and journalists when he positioned the neighbouring Iran as an ally of India in order to justify that Pakistan should fight Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen in wake of Saudi expectations from Islamabad.
What triggered Sheikh Rashid to take a line on Yemen issue in total contrast to the overwhelming majority of lawmakers that advice the government to be a mediator between Iran and Saudi Arabia over turmoil in issue and that totally disapprove Pakistan’s possible intentions of becoming party to the conflict in Middle East?
Nobody understood the peculiar approach of Sheikh Rashid on Yemen issue with some journalists arguing that Sheikh Sahib was expected to toe the line of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), his like-minded party that like other parties also warns the government not to join Saudi-led coalition at the cost of friendship of brotherly Iran.
But there was one politician who could arguably inform as to why Sheikh Rashid was tilting towards Arab Sheikhs in wake of the political upheavals in Yemen.
He knows Sheikh Rashid since 1983 when the seven-time MNA had not yet made it to National Assembly. Before Sheikh Rashid had taken the floor of house and had not yet started his speech, his old friend had informed viewers of the proceedings at Parliament Cafeteria as to what exactly would Sheikh Sahib reveal in his speech on Yemen issue.
He is Malik Shakil Awan, the former MNA, an old friend and campaigner for Sheikh Rashid who has now turned out to be stanch opponent of Farzand-e-Rawalpindi. “I know Sheikh Rashid more than anybody. He (Sheikh) will aim his fingers at India and America when Pakistan is confronted with international issue. He is Pakistani version of extremist Indian politician Bal Thackeray,” Awan told this reporter when he was asked about why Sheikh Rashid sounded different than other politicians on turmoil in Yemen.
Shakil Awan recalled that he was the man for popularising the title of Farzand-e-Rawalipndi for Sheikh Rashid when he was in good terms with him and that when Sheikh Saahib had not parted ways with PML-N.
Awan who had defeated Sheikh Rashid by a big margin during bye-election in NA-55, went on to say that after PTI’s patch-up with the government after the establishment of the judicial commission had disappointed Sheikh Rashid as the move has deprived the occupant of Lal Haveli of the chance to criticize the government and hence to grab media attention.
“By taking an anti-Iran stance in wake of Yemen issue, Sheikh Rashid tries to be alive in media. He also wants to grab the attention of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif so that he could be invited to attend an in-camera session of senior politicians on Yemen issues,” Shakil Awan maintained.
Soon after Sheikh Rashid turned his mike to speak on the floor, PML-N’s women lawmakers in the house greeted him with slogans ‘Sharam Karo”, Mafi Mango’ literally meaning ‘have some shame’, tender apology’  in a bid to remind him his tirade against the parliament that he had abused in his statements during PTI’s anti-government protest.
Interestingly, no member of PTI came to defense of Sheikh Sahib when PML-N’s members interrupted him during his speech until Ayaz Sadiq appealed to the noisy MNAs to maintain order in the house.